Chesham & Amersham

Posted on 23 May 2025 by Phil

I was going to head to Paddington and walk some of the Grand Union Canal today, but spotted a “semi-fast” train going to Chesham, and decided a bit of countryside at the far end of the Metropolitan Line would be bettter.

Chesham Station only has a single platform, but was surprisingly busy:

A footpath leads from the station back along the line:

And soon gets to Meades Water Gardens, a lovely little spot:

Then wiggles around under the tube line before heading uphill into Little Hodds Wood:

and a nice bench for lunch:

At the other end of the woods, there was a bit of road walking to Amersham Station:

From there, I caught a little diesel train back to Marylebone, then the tube and a fast train back to Orpington.

Rye Harbour Nature Reserve

Posted on 15 May 2025 by Phil

Quite a bit cooler today, so we went for a walk around Rye Harbour Nature Reserve. We were last there in 2012, see:

There is a new “Discovery Centre” opened recently (replacing a hut) with info on the reserve:

And an excellent cafe, with some seats by the window, complete with binoculars!

We also joined the Sussex Wildlife Trust while were there and finally (at least according to Rocco) set off for a walk:

It was quite windy along the coast. Rocco eventually found a bit of a stick on the shingle:

and once we got to the sea, he loved retrieving it from the waves:

There are many hides on the reserve; this one was good as there was a lot of bird activity just outside it:

The habitat changed as we headed inland:

And we headed to the ruins of Camber Castle, where we found a sheltered alcove to have our lunch:

The castle is no longer open to the public due to its condition, but we could have a peek inside through the gates:

Then back to the car. A nice 6 mile walk, though very windy at times!

Ferry Inn

Posted on 12 May 2025 by Phil

Not far from Appledore was the Ferry Inn, curiously named as the river by the pub is now tiny. But this wasn’t always the case, and the ferry used to run across the River Rother to the Isle of Oxney.

Excellent beers, and we each had a steak burger wrapped in a toasted tortilla – a combination we’d not seen before:

As you can see, the burger was enormous, and perfectly cooked with the meat just pink in the middle.

After that we needed some exercise, so on with the walking boots along the “Reading Sewer”, the water that now flows past the pub:

Further on was a little hill with a nice path leading up it:

and nice views of the Isle of Oxney from the top:

From there, we walked on down and then round back to the pub – a very warm walk though there was a little breeze at the end.

Woodchurch and Walks

Posted on 11 May 2025 by Phil

Another glorious day here in the depths of Kent. First stop was Woodchurch Village Life Museum. Didn’t look much from the outside, but an excellently curated collection of local artifacts and tales of village life. Dog friendly too, not that Rocco got too excited by it. This is a carding machine:

From there, we went to Orlestone Forest Nature Reserve. Not sure we saw much nature, but Rocco could have a good run around and chased sticks:

After which, it was time for a drink, so we headed to the Woolpack Inn in Warehorne. A lovely pub in a nice quiet village; almost tempted to stay for lunch, but as it was Sunday, a Roast was the main offering:

We had a quick look at the village church and had intended to walk to the Royal Military Canal, but the 1st stile wasn’t dog friendly and the third field had cows and calves in, so we abandoned that and headed to Parkwood instead. This had a 1.5 mile “Oaks and Bluebells” trail with really nice paths and 8 geocaches to find:

Unfortunately, Rocco found a smelly pond, so we headed back to the barn and forced him to sit in the sunshine until he was dry. We then strolled back to the Wittersham Sports and Social club for excellent beer and a bit of a chat with the locals:

Another lovely day; let’s hope this nice weather continues through the week!

Wittersham Walk

Posted on 10 May 2025 by Phil

Still a lovely day, so we went for a local walk this afternoon. After a bit of track, there’s a nice wood with paths through – very pleasant in the shade!

Then a field of sheep:

And after a few more paths, we reached the River Rother:

A bit further along the river, we headed inland and encountered a very overgrown path with lots of nettles – not good when you’re wearing shorts…

And further on, an orchard, which was lovely but impossible to find the actual path through so we had to detour around the edges:

This took us to the village, and we found the pub, which unfortunately closed a year ago.

After a quick topup in the village shop, we went to the Wittersham Sports and Social Club. Uninspiring from the outside, and we had to sign in, but enjoyed excellent beer (Tonbridge Coppernob on cask) and cider – and Rocco got some dog biscuits.

We then checked out the village war memorial and park – all very neat and tidy!

then weaved our merry way back:

A lovely walk, helped by a bit of breeze to keep us cool.

Frosty High Elms

Posted on 4 Jan 2025 by Phil

A frosty but nice walk this morning in High Elms and Farnborough Fields. With the low temperatures, Rocco seemed particurly energetic!

Battersea to Putney

Posted on 4 Oct 2024 by Phil

Good weather forecast today (made a change!) so it’s off on the train to London.

Yet again, we started from Battersea Park station and walked through the streets to Battersea Park, where Rocco was glad to be off the lead:

We soon reached the river and our continuation of the Thames Path:

By then, it was time for a coffee in the park:

Then the Peace Pagoda and a nice walk along the embankment to Albert Bridge:

Further west, there are many houseboats on the river:

And a nice church, making a change from the modern architecture:

Then under Battersea Railway Bridge, used by the Overground line from Clapham Junction to Willesden:

We then had our first major diversion away from the river viewing the delights of London Heliport:

But we were soon back by the river:

It seemed a shame not to stop at a riverside pub, “The Waterfront”:

Next was Wandsworth Bridge and Nickols Walk:

and time to stop for lunch:

A bridge crosses the River Wandle where it meets The Thames:

Then yet more houseboats:

and finally, some grass in Wandsworth Park:

We stopped for another beer at “The Boathouse”:

and then is was back to the hustle and bustle of Putney High Street – this reminded us how quiet most of the walk had been:

We caught a train to Waterloo, and unusually, arrived in the “international” platforms that were used by Eurostar before the move to St Pancras:

Finally, a fast train home. A lovely day out!

Holway Woods Nature Reserve

Posted on 23 Jul 2024 by Phil

We decided to visit the Holway Woods Nature Reserve, but after driving down a very narrow lane, couldn’t seem to find it. There was a small layby so we stopped and checked the location on the web, which seemed to suggest we were in the right place. As nothing was obvious, we were just about to turn around and move on, when I spotted a small sign up a track from the road, which confirmed that we WERE in the right place…